


Grishaverse Headcanons

by sobachka



Category: Nikolai Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: a lot of these are just zoyalai, baby dominik at the little palace, can you blame me?, dominik and nikolai <3, flight attendant nikolai, i love them, its cute, lawyer zoya, they have names and everything, zoyalai babies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27404770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sobachka/pseuds/sobachka
Summary: just a ton of headcanons from my tumblr compiled here@zoyalais on tumblryes most of these are zoyalai and what about it
Relationships: Dominik/Nikolai Lantsov, Nikolai Lantsov/Zoya Nazyalensky
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	1. Flight Attendant Nikolai (Zoyalai)

_@tsaritsas asked: ajshdjad okay spill abt the flight attendant headcanons_

  * zoya getting on a plane and she's a lawyer cuz i said so, probably meeting some client, probably hasn't slept in three weeks and this. fucking. flight attendant is running around with the biggest smile, talking to all the little kids, entertaining the adults and making jokes into the mic every once in a whil



  * nikolai ofc wants to impress ✨everyone✨



  * so he keeps stopping by to tell a joke or offer her a drink but she jus rolls her eyes and grunts when he tries to talk to her



  * so nikolais like. wow. this is my calling. my whole life has been leading up to this moment. I need to get this pretty lady to talk to me.



  * here’s the thing tho,,, zoya. zoya when she sleeps. you cannot wake her. now zoya when shes been surviving off nothing but coffee for WEEKS. dont even try.



  * the plane reaches its destination



  * zoya is completely passed out, right? head buried in her arms and just curled up in what looks like a very uncomfortable travel position but,,, somehow it works.



  * anyway nikolai, dutiful flight attendant comes to wake her up. he tries talking to her, shaking her shoulder (she shoves him away without waking up) “we’re herre!! cmon wake up miss...” he frowns, sees a laptop bag tucked under her chai, checks it. grins. “zoooyaa !! ✨miss zoya✨ zoOOOOyyaAA”



  * unsurprisingly, none of this works.



  * the plane lands. everyone is quick to get up, nikolai helps a few with their bags, high fives some children and then its empty. and zoya. is still. asleep.



  * and for a second nikolai just looks at this beautiful stranger who clearly hasn’t slept in ages and is impossible to wake up. and he just smiles a bit. he can wait a little while, right? so he goes back to the cabin and gets a blanket, drapes it around her shoulders, then finds a comfy place to sit and reads. 



  * when zoya wakes up, the plane is strangely silent- where’d the mother with those two screaming twins go? did she finally get them to be quiet?- she looks to her right and frowns. its empty. she bolts upright- the only reasons a plane would be empty are al very, _very_ bad. did they crash? did they land? had she been kidnapped? was this all a dream?



  * nikolai strolls in and looks almost amused at her reaction



  * “mornin sleeping beauty”



  * she cuts him a sharp glare- blanket still around her shoulder, hair messy from sleep, slightly unsteady on her feet. still, her glare is murderous.



  * nikolai just grins, crosses his arms and very seriously asked, “miss zoya when was the last time you slept?”



  * somehow that glare increases tenfold “i sleep just fine” 



  * very obviously a lie miss im-zoya-nazyalensky-i-dont-need-internal-organs-and-i-sure-as-hell-dont-need-sleep



  * now shes very annoyed with the flight attendant, decides she’s got too much to do to worry about this, shrugs off the blanket- how did that even get there?- and starts struggling to get her bags down. she’s very short and one of the suitcases seems to be stuck, but then she stops dead and whips around to look at him “wait, how do you know my name?”



  * nikolai just raises a brow and goes “its written on your bags”



  * zoya shuts her eyes, feeling quite dumb, and goes for another quetsion, still struggling to get the bag down “why didn’t you wake me? I have things to do, you know”



  * nikolai, ever the hero, just smiles to himself, comes up behind her and gets them down for her. shes not blushing, okay? shes not. 



  * "you seemed to need the sleep" he hands her the bags _._ he winks "besides you looked cute"



  * she looks at him, she’s a bit tired and he’s super handsome and nice and his hair is ridiculously perfect and-



  * she snaps out of it, glancing around “are we even allowed to be here?”



  * “technically? I dont think so”



  * ".... can we get out of here?" _  
"o_ h yea i have the keys" he teases, winking. he tries to help with her other bag but she insists on dragging them all with her, so he shrugs and starts leading the way to the door.



  * he tries it



  * locked.



  * frowns, pushes against it with his shoulder.



  * not locked, _stuck_.



  * zoya panics- the claustrophobia is kicking in and all she can hear is the word _trapped_ repeating in her head- her aunt died in a plane crash, and she never really got over the fear of them since. so she starts slamming her fists against the door, shouting. her hearts beating wildly, shes not focusing. nikolai catches on, tries to calm her down, then picks up his phone and calls the airport, explains the situation.



  * they laugh at him. “again, lantsov?” but promise to send someone.



  * he shoves his phone in his pocket and tells zoya but she still seems panicked- like seriously panicked, eyes wide, fidgeting with her fingers, pacing two steps back and forth in the small space so he starts talking, trying to keep her focus on him, to calm her down, he even blocks her path so she cant pace.



  * but she literally looks terrified and it tugs at his heart, so he suddenly pulls her into a hug. and at first she’s confused- i mean zoya nazyalensky does _not_ do hugs. not normally. but he’s warm, and nice and she leans into the embrace, clinging to him. 



  * and hes talking softly to her now, straightening her hair and for some reason its comforting. she can’t name why- maybe she really does need more sleep- but it just is.



  * “i’ll get us out, i promise- either that or I’ll sue the airport”  
she bites back a smile, “i’m a lawyer, and you literally can’t”



  * and for a few moments they stay like that, and her breathing calms, her heartrate slows and she feels better. still, she doesn’t let go. neither does he.



  * then the door they’re standing beside clicks and screeches as it’s forced open. zoya jumps back as two workers help them out and shes just muttering thanks and grabbing her stuff to leave as quickly as possible.



  * nikolai catches up to her, running up the ramp as she practically stomps away lugging her bags behind.



  * “well miss zoya, after our little adventure, I’m sure you need to recharge- let me invite you to dinner”



  * she glances back, frowns. “don’t you have another flight?”



  * he does. “nope.”



  * and for some reason



  * she agrees.




	2. Flight Attendant Nikolai (Zoyalai) part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@revouries: dare: write part 2 for the flight attendant nikolai post <3_

  * zoya agreed to dinner, and with her layover being so long and nikolai having missed his flight back for her, they both had some extra time on their hands
  * there’s quite a lot to do when you’re two gorgeous individuals who got stuck together in paris
  * being a lawyer keeps her in one place way more than she’d like so surprisingly, this is zoya’s first time there. nikolai has stopped here plenty of times and makes it his duty to show her around. 
  * she slept for hours on the plane and its already getting dark, but she doesn’t want to go to the hotel yet. just...not yet. so after dinner they take a long walk along the seine. he tells her stories about different places he’d been, how he’d had to catch a flight from moscow to beijing and make it back within two hours to appease a first-class passenger who had apparently forgotten, of all things, her shoe.
  * “how does a person forget their _shoe_?”  
“a _very expensive Christian Louboutin_ shoe.” nikolai corrects. zoya snorts  
“did she not notice that one foot was six inches shorter than the other?”
  * somehow it’s already dark and its freezing now but zoya hasn’t brought a jacket- no one really plans on missing their flight by falling asleep for five hours on a plane and then getting stuck inside. 
  * nikolai notices and ofc, ever the gentleman, takes off his jacket and drapes it over his shoulder. his hand lingers a second longer than necessary. and its like he’s been punched in the gut because- saints, under the stars, smiling lazily, cheeks slightly red from the cold and wrapped in his jacket. his brain short circuits.
  * “hot cocoa.”  
zoya frowns “what?”  
nikolai forces himself to pull away, grinning, “they have the _best_ hot cocoa here, come on”
  * because honestly one more second there he might have done something stupid. like reach for her. like cup her face in his hands. like pull her close and press his lips to hers-
  * yeah, hot cocoa.
  * they get two cups and then nikolais leading them to the eiffel tower fo all places. its late and the whole place is lit up and it looks exactly like the pictures genya sent her when she came with her fiancée. shes utterly struck by the place and by how comforting it was- or maybe that’s just her company. she leans against his shoulder and lets him wrap an arm around her and its warm and his jacket is too big but it smells nice and hes comforting and.
  * zoya found she really didnt want to pull away.
  * they spend the rest of the night wandering around, and maybe its past 3am when they lay down in the grass and zoya tells him how she’d always been fascinated by astronomy, pointing out different constellations to him
  * nikolai ignores the text from isaak that reads “you owe me big time” and doesn’t regret missing his flight.
  * when he finally leads her back to her hotel room, knowing he should get back for his next flight in two hours but not quite wanting to leave, zoya asks if he’ll stop anywhere in aligarh, india soon
  * “will you show me around if i do?”  
“i don’t even have your number”  
“that can easily be remedied” 
  * maybe, just maybe she’s looking forward to the next time he texts. maybe, just maybe, he’s begging isaak to switch flights with him again and land him where he wants to go in a few months
  * but this was definitely a night neither forgot




	3. Zoyalai Babies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@sunsummoner: zoyalai babies?????????_

okay so first of all credits to [@tricewithaz](https://tmblr.co/mv1lardBr4DSYH3KKgLQnag) [@tsaritsas](https://tmblr.co/mAEqxdI0iByJ-26pat5DP4A) [@storm-dog-pirate](https://tmblr.co/myQgxIzcUj_zKp4YxEkcUmA) [@sultanah](https://tmblr.co/mnAf-ngzTB8e5MIXoPFMEUw) [@fillipas](https://tmblr.co/m1WsqQyjhtKNCGR3IN2xx7Q)

  * There are three total. The first two are only two years apart, and they’re close bc of this small age gap, and number three comes five years after. the Babie.
  * FIRST child: a girl. her name is Liliyana but they nickname her Lily. she has brown skin and black hair like zoya, but hazel eyes like nik. somehow tho she can replicate her mother’s Look and absolutely terrifies her siblings. she’s like a mini zoya, okay? she’s bossy, scary, and very Organized. 
  * the entirety of ‘just can’t wait to be king’ from the lion king? that’s how my queen thinks. she’s INSANELY smart, and at the age of nine she demands to start attending meetings with her parents. they agree.
  * she scares a lot of the diplomats, too. and she’s positively determined to never fall in love bc it gets in her way. ~~until a certain suli boy shows up at the palace but that’s a different story.~~
  * SECOND child: a boy. his name is Dominik ~~bc the Feels,~~ dom for short. just like his sister, he has black hair with their dad’s hazel eyes to match. but where lily’s eyes are sharp, his practically sparkle. he’s a lot more like nikolai than zoya in most things.
  * dominik loves to fall in love. like every two days he has a new interest and “I SWEAR THEY’RE THE ONE” but ofc that lasts about two seconds (his is all [@tricewithaz](https://tmblr.co/mv1lardBr4DSYH3KKgLQnag)s hcs) and he’s. such a drama king. like his dad. he does full monologues when something goes wrong, and writes poetry about all his lovers and “it’s not a phase mom” because that’s just how it is.
  * he dates around A LOT and they're all these girls, from fairs or fancy parties, foreign diplomats daughters and princesses from other countries. and one day. he’s out with his dad fixing the ship and. this boy shows up. and he’s just. brilliant. he knows how to work the sails. raised on the sea. has a lopsided grin. and dominik just. utterly loses his shit.
  * ~~but that’s a different story~~
  * THIRD child: a boy. isaak. lily and dom call him izzy but nikolai calls him “my sobachka” and ruffles his hair a lot. he’s the only one who got his dad’s blond hair paired with his mom’s blue eyes. and he is a ball of sunshine. he blushes constantly, he’s always smiling and laughing loud, and he makes everyone around him grin no matter how sad they are. he apologizes for every thing. bumps into a wall and says sorry.
  * thing is tho because he’s not like either parent, he gets really self conscious, he’s NOT charismatic. he’s NOT scary. he’s NOT like zoya or nik first hand, he's a softy, ball of sunshine, big smiles and red cheeks, quick to apologize. and he feels like shit because 'I'm not like either of them??' he’s obsessed with science and hangs out with david a lot but he feels bad about it so one time nikolai accompanies him to a lab and they soend the day doing experiments n shit together and he’s basically like: “we love you just the way you are, my sobachka” and <3 ykno  

  * the siblings love each other fiercely, okay? no one can come between them.
  * they live happily ever after no one dies or gets hurt ever no matter what ~~leigh don’t screw this up for me~~ <3




	4. Nikolai & Vasily part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _based on[this post](https://tricewithaz.tumblr.com/post/628911527126269953/wow-thats-so-different-from-what-i-had-in-mind-but) by [@tricewithaz](https://tricewithaz.tumblr.com) on tumblr_

_@tricewithaz;_

not that i normally do this but i have a hc that both nikolai and vasily used to have their mother's straight ass nose but at nikolai's 17th birthday they had a massive fight that ended with vasilys fist on nikolai's face and thats how nikolai's kose got crooked and it had a toll on him because it was one of the few things that he had in common with vasily and he realized how much of an asshome he was and how little he cared about him. Yeah i have whole ass fics up in here a shame im not a writer well oh well

_@sobachka:_

sjhsjsjsj ok but vasilys a weak ass so I raise u: he brought some friends (ok more like,,, lackeys.) and has then beat the shit out of his brother and nikolai is just young and dumb and he can’t even remember what he said to piss him off but his brother just *watches* as these strangers hit him and no one does a thing to stop it.  
  
he doesn’t go to the medik, instead he goes straight to his room and does whatever he can to stop the bleeding (and I mean he’s bEAT. but basically everything heals eventually except the nose) and he just thinks. fuck. I’m in this alone. and yk it was easier to let the rumors go when he could trick himself into believing his brother gave half a crap about him but. the glint in his eyes. the smirk as he watched them hit nikolai?  
  
the next day, he starts training. not princely training on how to hold a pretty sword and fence but like full on fight. months later he finds the same guys and returns the favor. the nose may have been a mistake but now it’s just a reminder.

_@tricewithaz:_

wow thats so different from what i had in mind but I LIKE IT 👀

In my head it was something more like nikolai celebrating at some nice place outside the palace with all his friends from the militsry service and vasily comes in bec their parents told him so, say hi, eat a piece of cake, give him a lil present and hes gone, but they start arguing and it gets a bit violent. Just grabbing at clothes and limbs, maybe a kick on the shin, some scrstching, nothing too violent or harmful, cause theyre brothers, or so nikolai thinks but then theres a fist in his face and it hurts like shit ans hes bleeding so fucking much. Of course people just observe, but at that point nikolai separates himself fron vasily in complete shock, and vasily tries to get him again but other catch him before he can do anything and nikolai just looks at him all bloody in utter shock suddenly realizing who his brother really is, bec he didnt think he would ever actually hurt him and he doesnt show one ounce of regret. And he just leaves and cries because damn that fucking hurt.

Just as a bonus bec i know youll like it right after nikolai storms off dominik straight up calls vasily sn asshole with a push on his chest and runs behind nikolai before he can do anything about it. Tries to clean his face up and whatnot while the boy just sobs. Its angsty okay.


	5. Nikolai & Vasily part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _anon: The headcanon about Vasily breaking Nikolai's nose got me ~feeling things~ and if I'd really like to hear any headcanons you have about nikolai and Vasily?_
> 
> _Also I love ur blog so much...thank u for singlehandedly carrying the nikolai fandom_

omg anon ILY also me too it was late at night and I was having Emotions (also blame [@tricewithaz](https://tmblr.co/mv1lardBr4DSYH3KKgLQnag) for the painful headcanons)

okay so. they have these hunting trips that ravkan aristocrats like to go on where they pretend they don't need servants to do their work and fake manliness while making false bets and rigging games on behalf of the king. nikolai has literally no interest in going. he's also never been invited. every year his father makes vasily go, bc he's the Crown Prince.

but one time vasily shows up at nikolais room and just goes, pack ur stuff we're leaving tonight for the hunt. mika like ok what. but he can't ask vasily questions, he hates it when nikolai asks too many questions and he'll get mad. nikolai is ten. he doesn't wanna make his brother mad.

so without asking a single one of the millions of questions in his mind he agrees to go, packs his stuff, and you know what? he's a little excited, because vasily never invites him to things like this, and his brother adores the crowds attention. he would never want to split it. unless ofc he noticed how good nikolai had been getting at practice or maybe he realized his brother has hidden talents.

anyway he's full to the brim with hope and already super excited about the whole thing. when he shows up vasily says he forgot to have a horse made for him. they're bringing additional nobles this time, which means there are none left. okay. it's a challenge, and nikolai knows that much. so he agrees to follow behind on a donkey. embarrassing, humiliating, smelly. he does it. only once they start riding, nikolai chats up some of the nobles (he's like tom sawyer this guy) and suddenly everyone slows their horses to walk beside him, someone even offers to trade with him but nikolai refuses. and ofc the kid who was meant to be at the center of attention is suddenly forgotten. vasily hates this.

okay this is long asf I'll summarizes: when they get to the place they're gonna camp at, vasily has nikolai get firewood from the forest, which is dark and scary and not a place any ten year old should go alone. he does. he manages it with a small incident of glimpsing a siberian mountain lion, but when he comes back it's just a good anecdote that everyone loves to hear.

when he gets back there is no tent set for him, so someone offers to share, and he agrees. then they all decide to go scout the area see what they can get to eat. and niks like okay let me grab my stuff. but it's gone. everything he's brought with him and he *knows* where he put it. they're at the edge of a mountain covered in snow, it's freezing and he doesn't even have a change of clothes.

he gets this feeling that something is off, so he goes around the back of the tents, right to the edge of the mountain and he can just make out a broken suitcase at the bottom, a pair of shoes floating in the river. then fucking Vasily shows up like the demon he is.

and he's pisses. because he's jealous of the way everyone treats nikolai, and he realizes that his plan to humiliate his brother complete backfired. they get into it, because that's what u do when ur ten and ur brother is a psychopath. but even if nikolais mad and he's trained with his brother before, he's still smaller (kids fuckin ten) and vasily wins easily, he grabs nikolai by the collar and shoves him towards the edge, literally one slip and he'll fall.

and he's close to letting go. nikolai can see it in his eyes, there's not an ounce of apology, not even a second of reconsideration. so he starts talking, because our boi has more brains than muscle, and he just tells him that if nikolai dies on this trip, then that's the only thing they'll talk about for weeks months. every day people will mourn him, they'll send flowers to vasily for his loss. he'll get all the attention. but if he lets nikolai go then he'll tell everyone that vasily saved him, he'll make him out to be some hero.

vasilys a bitch. he's stuck up and egoistic and this appeals to all his flawed senses. so he lets nikolai go, and he makes good on his word.

but that was the last time nikolai had to bargain for his life. especially not from his own flesh and blood.


	6. Nikolai & Dominik as kids (2nik) part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@tricewithaz: tell us how dominiks first year at the little palace was please 😔_

  * Okay so I said he was smart, right? Well they needed someone that would actually get Nikolai to study, and if the only other classmate didn't care abt class that wasn't gonna happen. So they go to the Poor™ school and they ask for the most intelligent kid there. And thus, his journey begins.



  * First he's scared shitless, because like ?? The Little Palace?? Sleeping on a big bed, having sugar in his tea, eating like a royal?? Not to mention... Studying with the prince?



  * He could take a few hits for that.



  * It's a huge opportunity, and his family, while slightly concerned, knows that whatever they have in store for him at the palace is going to be loads better than what he'll get if he stays with them.



  * So anyway he's there and everything is a hundred times GRANDER in his eyes, and he's so smiley and nervous and excited all at once. In the palace, no one talks to him, which he doesn't mind, because honestly? He wanted to observe in peace.



  * Classes start the next day, and until then, he's free to wander. And wander he does. Every inch of the palace, the labs, the gardens, the grisha study halls- he goes to all of them. Most people assume he's just a servant, and let him go wherever he pleases, the rest don't notice him.



  * But he notices everything.



  * It's brilliant. He writes an eight page letter about it to his family, just describing the beautiful place he was blessed enough to go to.



  * And then school starts.



  * The prince wasn't the problem- quite the opposite, the prince was a person of interest to Dominik. Where he'd expected a stuck up, spoiled boy, he was surprised- and pleased- to find a bright boy, smarter than he seemed, knew the names of all the servants. Noticed Dominik. That last one stuck.



  * Just before class started, the teacher took Dominik aside and explained to him exactly what his role was. In excruciating detail. Suddenly the palace seemed quite little indeed.



  * Deciding he didn't need the trouble, he avoided the prince, keeping his head low. And it got lower each time the prince went on to make a joke, or disturb the class.



  * But the first time the prince sees the consequences of his actions- and discovers why dominik was brought there in the first place, he does something dominik had never thought he'd witness a royal do



  * He apologizes. Stranger still, the prince makes good on his promise to do better. He asks dom to call him nikolai. 



  * Dominik rather likes that. 



  * And somehow, over time, he finds himself growing to care for the prince- looking forward to his company, the looks they gave each other in class, the hours spent talking and planning different inventions/ He'd finally found someone on his level of cleverness, and dominik wasn't willing to let go of that too quickly.



  * Maybe coming to the palace wasn't as bad of an idea as his brother thought




	7. Zoyalai Babies part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@thestormwitches: tell me more about domnik._

dhgdhjd ok let’s gO

  * the first thing you need to know about dom is that he is such a drama king
  * he will literally get a scratch and go into a full on monologue about how he is Departing From This World
  * everyones used to it at this point
  * [ [@tricewithaz](https://tmblr.co/mv1lardBr4DSYH3KKgLQnag) came up w this one] dominik: "oh saints, i see father, he’s on the other side, he’s offering me his hand, he’ll accompany onto the other side. good bye brother, when the time comes, ill hold your hand as well" Nikolai is very much alive and offering his hand for him to stand the fuck up
  * he definitely got this from nikolai tho,,
  * anyway he’s a total fuckboy in every respect,, but he’s also super dramatic abt his Conquests
  * they each get two weeks of his undivided love and attention, pages and pages of his shitty poetry, a promise of some future together at the wandering isle,,,,, u get the gist
  * he’s fond of sailing (oops he rly iS like Nikolai ig) but he’s so fucking bad at it. gets seasick if he’s on the boat too long and can’t steer a ship for the life of him. but he loves it enough that Nikolai dedicates time to teach him how to sail, repair the ship, puts together a crew for him and all that
  * i mentioned dom met someone on one of these trips. this someone may be the reason he really loves to sail. maybe Nikolai notices this and starts trying to set them up,, i mean he’s a king sure but he’s got time to help his kids out




	8. Nikolai & Dominik as kids (2nik) part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@tricewithaz: okay now that ive finished all my shit and knowing you LOVE 2nik how do you think their military service was (before the actull battling and angst i mean, i need Le Fluff™)_

  * just picture dom and nik at like (idk what the drafting age was) 14 so they're really dumb kids pretending to be adults bc that's how it was at 14, and they're outside in the palace gardens, sitting on the grass as usual just talking



  * they're there and all and nikolai brings up this new idea he's had buzzing thru his brain because like. omg what if those fancy ships my dad owns fucking _flew_



  * and dominik is just as crazy and just as smart (maybe a tad smarter) so he's like wait we can make that happen.



  * So they launch into this whole architect talk, and they discuss size and weight and how sleek the ship would have to be, where they could test it and whatnot. and then nikolai goes ok hell yes we can get started on the design soon.



  * and our boi dom just. pauses.



  * because as the prince of ravka it probably never occurred to nikolai that at his age kids were already forced to enlist.



  * and so he tells him and nikolai is just stunned because how could he be so ignorant?? 



  * anyway after dominik leaves for the military he storms into the war room and announces to the king, the darkling (or whatever the fuck he called himself at the time idc) and every nobleman there that he was leaving for the first army the next day.



  * No one argues with him.




	9. Zoyalai Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@volkvolnys: talk about zoyalai stargazing_

  * zoya has always loved the stars, since she was little and her aunt would lay down beside her and name out the constellations
  * when she moved to the little palace, she couldn't see the stars cuz none of the kids were allowed outside at night, and she didn't have a telescope. so it was whatever she could make out from her dorm window which was...not a lot.
  * it was upsetting of course so she ended up studying the stars from books, and they became a sort of comfort to her.
  * and I mean she knew all the constellation * _by heart_ *
  * now one day nikolai gets REALLY excited about something and he's like “ok ok zoya C O M E !!”
  * she's confused but he's Like That so she goes along with him
  * he takes her to the roof grinning like a kid he's just SO EXCITED
  * now obviously as a ~~pirate~~ privateer, nikolai had to learn to sail via stars right? so he's also got them down quite well
  * anyway they get to the rooftop and it's cold and quiet and almost peaceful. and at first she thinks he wants her to see os alta from above- because holy shit what a sight- but then she sees that someone (ahem nikolai) spread out some blankets and has pillows propped up.
  * she gives him a really confused look "nikolai what is this??" but he's still grinning "just come * _on_ *" and he pulls her down beside him.
  * and then he's pointing above and her breath leaves her.
  * because she hasn't been able to see the stars for so long, she'd practically forgotten one * _could_ * see them at all. nikolai's watching her reaction and he's still real excited about the whole thing he doesn't notice that some tears fill her eyes.
  * and they lay down beside each other watching the stars and nikolai tells her all about the different constellations, everything she already know, pointing to them enthusiastically, adding to her knowledge with various myths he'd heard from his travels- "and you see the bear? the zemini believe a wild bear tried to attack a zowa, who used her ability to trap him in the stars, a reminder that nature isn't to be messed with"-
  * she knows pretty much all of it but she lets him talk, smiling to herself, until eventually he mixes up two names and she corrects him automatically. and he just kinda pauses.
  * "how do you know all this?" "old hobby of mine" "and you * _let me go on_ "??"
  * "...I wouldn't want to hurt your pride" which of course translates to I love hearing you talk.
  * but they're * **zoyalai** * so ofc she doesn't SAY that.
  * and so they lay beside each other and at some point nikolai reaches out and links their hands and zoya doesn't protest and maybe just maybe they fall asleep under the stars.
  * and for once neither of them has nightmares.




	10. Zoyalai Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@revouries: tell me about zoyalai and how they had to ~pretend~ to be a couple which was the start, the thing that actually set off the rumours in ravka abt them possibly being together_

  * so other than the fact that when they're around each other it's like ✨no one else is in the room✨ 
  * they use each other to get out of things. nikolais being cornered by some old lady who wants her seventeen yr old daughter married off? zOYYA MY LOVVVE COME HERE 😍❤️
  * and she only agrees to this because it goes both ways. cuz I mean imagine these dukes coming to any sort of ball at the palace and seeing zoya in all her glory. just. everyone wants a dance and they're all old and make her uncomfortable and maybe their hands dip a little too low while dancing 
  * one look from zoya and suddenly nikolais at her side, pulling her away- and pulling her *close*- it's a pretty obvious message. most of them take it.
  * mind you they _don't say a word about it_ because of course they don't want some big scandal, but they do little things. zoya will come and rest a hand on nikolais chest and his eyes will soften when he looks at her (this !! is all !! pretend !! ofc !!) or nikolai will tuck her hair away and smile at her until the annoying suitor disappears again 
  * point is: no one says they're together but...well no one says they're _not_
  * but something big must have happened for the rumors to start, right? and what better place for rumors to begin than in the palace itself. more specifically, through the servants. 
  * it was an accident. honestly it had just been a really long day and zoya was too tired to get back to her room and the couch was _right there_ and nikolai happened to be already asleep. it wasn't !! her fault !! 
  * but when the maids come to present the king with his morning tea and see the way nikolai and zoya are wrapped in each other's arms (and I mean full on tangled, they're cuddling and ~~mostly~~ completely unaware of it) 
  * zoya wakes up first and jumps back, unintentionally sending a gust of wind at nikolai, causing him to fall painfully onto the floor. 
  * he gets up and glares at her groggily. she doesn't mention how good he looks with his messy hair and rumpled clothes, and he doesn't say that her eyes are brighter in the morning, and somehow her tone seems less sharp. 
  * but they're both thinking it. 
  * they don't talk about that night- because it meant nothing anyway !! and they totally don't think about it for hours after !!- but the servants talk. oh, they _talk._
  * they're too afraid of zoya to say anything particularly bad about them, and far too lost to nikolais charm to spread hateful rumors. so when word does get out, it isn't a scandal about the unmarried king and his general. it's a story about a love that could never be. 
  * It's almost tragic, nikolai thinks when it circles back to him
  * _thank all the saints it isn't real_




	11. Zoyalai Height Difference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _@dogdromer: ohhohhoh zoyalai height difference!!_

  * ms zoya nazyalensky, storm witch, commander of the second army, queen of storms, is very _very_ short
  * ~~this is not self projection~~ she’s smol and scary ok
  * now with zoya being short. shorter than genya. shorter than p much everyone. she is tiiiny compared to nikolai. 
  * she makes up for it with three feet of pure spite but still he’s a tree
  * now to counter this she wears like six inch heels everywhere (now she just reaches up to his chin and he loves coming from behind and wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on her head, brushing her hair, and shes just so content) 
  * anyway zoyas so determined to be That Much taller compared to nikolai that sometimes he’ll wear boots with heels on em just to piss her off
  * he trips an falls on his face five minutes in but the look on her face was worth it
  * also zoya being short means nikolai carries her (which !! she totally !! doesn’t want him to do !! omg !!) but secretly she rly likes it and he’ll do it at such random times, if she seems a bit tired he’s like uP YA GO and zoya is absolutely terrified of heights so she’s holding on for dear life which nikolai finds very amusing
  * he gets punched tho on more than one occasion. just cuz.
  * also if they’re working late and zoya falls asleep on the couch, he’ll pick her up bridal style, and if she’d half conscious, she’ll just cuddle into his chest and he finds it so adorable
  * he does this a lot, and sets her in bed, tucks her in and adds like four blankets so she’ll wake up cocooned with a ton of them and she’s just?? wtf nikolai?? but then he’s just got his arms around the giant ball of blankets that contains zoya so she rolls her eyes and smiles
  * also if they’re out somewhere nikolai will come up and rest an elbow on her head just to tease her and she will absolutely smile sweetly at him before zapping him with electricity (which yes i believe she has developed the ability to create small electrical shocks through her fingers and. boy does she use em.)
  * zoya has to get up on her tip toes to kiss him and nikolai still finds it adorable usually he just carries her mid-kiss which she totally !! doesnt like !! 
  * on that note zoya sits on counters a loT, ok? counters, tables, anything- and she can meet his eyes properly which shes ridiculously proud of
  * also forehead and nose kisses ✨✨
  * anytime zoyas upset she’ll kinda scrunch up her face an nikolai will just kiss her nose
  * they literally cannot function without each other
  * if one of them has been away for too long nikolai will always end up running up to zoya and spinning her around before pressing a kiss to the top of her head
  * ~~your honor they’re in LOVE~~




End file.
